Please excuse me for this blatant post title, but this is a very common area of concern for many of Victoria’s readers and lets face it, it’s a good way to catch your attention. The first question posted below was published in Green Smoothie Revolution; the second was edited out of the final print.

QUESTION: I started eating a raw food diet and drinking green smoothies three days ago, and I feel constipated. What did I do wrong?

VICTORIA: When people eat predominately refined food, which is low in fiber, their bowels become sluggish. For this reason, the contents of the large intestines are moved not from peristalsis but rather from being pushed by the following meals. Raw food is high in fiber and nutrition, and it consists of 90 percent water. That is a big change for the intestines to get used to. It may take a couple of weeks and sometimes longer, for the intestines to heal, for their muscle tome to improve, and for them to start working properly.

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The holidays are always linked directly to the guts simply because we eat more during the holiday season. Hence there couldn’t be a better topic for December, than our beloved colons.

It is clearly evident that what occurs in our guts is directly correlated to what we eat with our mouths, since what we put in our mouths ends up in our intestines. We place a great deal of effort into preparing and decorating the things we put in our mouths, but we barely remember that this food has to be digested. My husband Igor likes to say, “How intriguing it is, that such an unattractive part of the human body plays the most significant role in our overall well-being. The unpleasant smell makes it hard for us to recognize how precious our colon truly is.”

I understood the importance of keeping this organ healthy when I listened to my friend, a doctor and surgeon. He has told me many stories about a few of his patients who had part of their colons removed due to serious colon problems. These patients often reported that other illnesses which they had had for years, seemingly not related to the colon, instantly disappeared after the surgery. Some of these illnesses were: psoriasis, asthma, allergy, PMS, fatigue, depression, irritability, stomach pain, weight gain, headaches, wrinkles, insomnia, varicose veins, frequent infections, and many others.  I was especially impressed with one particular story of his:

A woman was suffering from a chronic depression for many years. She felt so lonely and rejected that when she heard she had polyps in her colon, she insisted on having part of her colon removed because she was hoping this dramatic surgery would draw the attention of her relatives and friends. However, her depression disappeared completely with the removal of her colon. Despite the intense pain she was in, she woke up the morning after the surgery with a big smile on her face. Since that time she no longer suffered from depression. I find this story truly remarkable. However, I believe that in many instances, in order to get rid of their illness, people can avoid the surgical removing of their colon by just keeping their colon healthy. So what does it mean to take good care of our intestines?

I have come to the conclusion that one of the most effective ways to maintain colon health is the regular consumption of the green smoothies. An improvement in intestinal functions was observed by most of the participants of the Roseburg study. In this study, 27 participants drank one quart of green smoothie for one month in addition to their regular diets (for more details, please read Green For Life.) Out of 27 participants, 24 reported improvements in their elimination and regular bowel movements 2-3 times a day, gentle elimination without discomfort, fast and complete elimination. 9 out of 27 reported that their elimination doubled in size.

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